Maui/MALT: Rayleigh Lidar Measurements of Middle Atmospheric Temperatures and Dynamics

A Rayleigh lidar system will be deployed to Maui, Hawaii, to measure absolute temperatures and relative atmospheric density throughout the stratosphere and mesosphere regions in combination with simultaneous observations of upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere winds and temperatures carried out by the U. of Illinois sodium lidar system. The 10 watts laser transmitter on loan from the Univ. of Illinois would be combined with the 3.7 m USAF-AEOS telescope located on Mt. Haleakala to achieve a power aperture product unmatched by any other Rayleigh lidar system regularly operating today. These lidar measurements would be supplemented by all sky imaging observations provided by the Univ. of Illinois OH intensity imaging system and the Utah State Univ. all sky imaging system of temperature and intensity for OH and O2 emissions. This suite of measurements would provide for focused investigations of small-scale wave propagation properties within the stratosphere and mesosphere regions. Larger scale dynamical measurements would be possible by combining these results with those from the Illinois meteor radar system.